No. 1 North Dakota State huge challenge for UNH

DURHAM — Coach Sean McDonnell sees North Dakota State as a hybrid of William & Mary's defense and Towson's offense.

AL PIKE

DURHAM — Coach Sean McDonnell sees North Dakota State as a hybrid of William & Mary's defense and Towson's offense.

That provides some insight as to what the University of New Hampshire football team is up against when it takes on the undefeated, top-ranked Bison on Friday night (8, ESPN2) in the semifinals of the FCS playoffs.

William & Mary shut out the Wildcats for the first time since 1995 this season, 17-0. Towson scored 41 unanswered points against UNH in a 44-28 victory, and is one of four clubs still alive.

"That's what you're facing here — the best defense in our league and the best, most powerful offense in our league," McDonnell said.

William & Mary is the last team to beat the Wildcats (10-4), who have ripped off six straight wins since then, including playoff victories over Lafayette, Maine and Southeastern Louisiana to reach the semis for the first time.

North Dakota State (13-0) has captured the last two national championships and carries a 22-game win streak into Friday's contest at the raucous Fargodome where the Bison are 10-0 in the postseason.

The Wildcats have been practicing indoors this week with a sound system to get used to the noise. They worked out at the indoor track in the field house on Monday, and traveled to the New Hampshire Sportsplex in Bedford on Tuesday and Wednesday.

They're scheduled to practice Thursday afternoon at the Fargodome.

"Apparently from what I'm hearing the practice environment that we have is nothing compared to what we'll be up against," said sophomore quarterback Sean Goldrich. "We're just trying to prepare as well as we can with what we've got and hope for the best."

The Bison will be tough enough without worrying about the venue. They've only been tested twice this season. They rallied for a 24-21 win in their opener at Kansas State of the FBS and edged MVC rival Northern Iowa, 24-23.

North Dakota State has beaten every other opponent by at least 15 points. The Bison are averaging 38 points per game and giving up only 11.4. They've outscored the opposition in the first quarter 131-20 and 89-6 in the fourth.

They raced out to a 24-0 lead in last week's quarterfinal win against Coastal Carolina.

"We have to put up points fast," Goldrich said. "We have to come out of the gate flying around, make a statement and let them know that we're not going to be a run-over team."

The Bison feature two 1,000-yard rushers in Sam Ojuri and John Cockett, and quarterback Brock Jensen has passed for 30 touchdowns and rushed for eight.

Jensen, the MVC offensive player of the year, has more wins (45) than any quarterback at the FCS level. Under his direction, North Dakota State leads the FCS in time of possession.

The Bison had the ball for almost 40 of the 60 minutes against Coastal Carolina.

"They're a team that when they get ahead of you it's pretty much over," said senior cornerback and co-captain Manny Asam. "They consume the time. They eat up the time. We've got to make sure they don't have that chance to control the ball. We've got to get off the field on third down. We've got to create some turnovers on defense, and on offense we've got to come away with points when the opportunity presents itself."

Top receiver Zach Vraa has caught 13 TD passes and is averaging 18 yards a reception despite starting just eight of 13 games.

The offensive line is anchored by left tackle Billy Turner (6-6, 314 pounds), who was voted offensive lineman of the year in the FCS. He helped the Bison gain a season-high 623 yards last week, including 424 on the ground.

"Billy Turner might be the best offensive lineman I've ever seen (since I've been) at the University of New Hampshire," McDonnell said. "He is big. He is nasty. He is athletic."

Goldrich scored three rushing touchdowns last week against Southeastern Louisiana, including the game-winning TD from 2 yards out with 47 seconds left to give the Wildcats a 20-17 victory.

He finished with a career-high 99 yards rushing and 276 passing. Junior R.J. Harris had a game-high 11 catches for 110 yards. UNH has a 1,000-yard runner in junior Nico Steriti and a 1,000-yard receiver in senior Justin Mello.

The Bison play downhill defensively and close on the ball extremely well.

"We've got to mix it," McDonnell said. "We've got to break some tackles. We've got to get good yards after the catch and we've got to get good yards after contact on a run. ...; But the single most important factor for us is holding onto the football."

Goldrich said the key for the Wildcats is to "execute and stay within the game plan, (and) not put too much pressure on ourselves. It's going to be a hostile environment. We know it's going to be very loud and we're not going to be able to communicate very well."

Defensively, the Wildcats were solid against Southeastern Louisiana after the game's first possession when the Lions drove the length of the field to take a 7-0 lead.

They did a decent job tackling in space, limiting big plays and getting off the field on third down.

"If we continue to do that stuff defensively," McDonnell said, "they're going to give us a chance to win."

However, the Wildcats struggled on special teams with three blocked kicks and two long returns. According to McDonnell, individual breakdowns were responsible for the two blocked field goals.

The snap was bobbled on the extra point. The Wildcats have worked to correct those mistakes this week in practice, including a possible personnel change on the field-goal team.

They missed two tackles on the kick return.

"We know it's not going to be a game that we're going to roll over them," Asam said. "Obviously they're the two-time defending champs. They've been in this position before. They know what to do to move on to the next level."

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